Germany – steady rise in waste imports

Federal Environmental Agency publishes statistics for 2004



The volume of imported waste requiring a license has once again seen a sharp increase to a level of 6.5 million tons (Mt) in 2004. As compared to the previous year, imports rose by 1.6 Mt; that is, by roughly 33 per cent.



A reversal of the trend is expected for 2005, however, due to the Ordinance on Environmentally Compatible Storage of Waste from Human Settlements and on Biological Waste-Treatment Facilities (German: Abfallablagerungsverordnung) which ensures that waste imports will decline in future. The exported volume of waste requiring a license exceeded the 1 Mt mark. Slight increases are expected in the next few years.



Municipal waste from Italy and Austria represented a particularly high fraction of the rise in imported waste, along with treated wood and– as in previous years- sorted waste and other mixed materials from the Netherlands. In addition, imports for storage to landfills have increased sharply.



The high costs of disposal, charged in the form of landfill taxes in neighboring states, especially the Netherlands, existed alongside market-driven low prices for imported wastes at German landfills and waste incineration installations. Landfills with inadequate technical equipment that had to be closed down by June 2005 in accordance with the Abfallablagerungsverordnung were accepting as much waste as possible at very low prices. Waste incineration facilities would not have nearly reached capacity by June 2005 without additional waste imported at very low prices.



Since June 2005 sub-standard landfills have been decommissioned and now even high-standard landfills may only accept pre-treated municipal waste for storage. Waste incineration installations are therefore working to capacity with the waste volume incurred in Germany and do not need to take in additional waste from abroad. This will have a considerable impact on import volume, as a decline is expected. Submitted import registrations already confirm this, especially as concerns sorted waste with high organic content. However, the storage ban has no effect on the export or import of waste destined for recycling or on inorganic waste.



At present there are no concrete grounds to confirm fears that the storage ban might lead to higher exports of waste to the new EU member states. Installations with adequate capacity and technical equipment are lacking in the new EU member states. Moreover, these countries‘‘ ability to dispose of their own waste may not be jeopardized.



Total imports of hazardous wastes amounted to 1.6 mt; exports reached 195,000 tons. Export volumes of waste not requiring a license have remained stable for years at about 16 mt. In contrast, imports have been rising steadily and reached 11.6 mt in 2004